Centre launches ‘One Nation, One Time’ pilot in Bengaluru to strengthen India’s digital infrastructure
Bengaluru: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday inaugurated a ‘White Rabbit Technology’-based Indian Standard Time (IST) Distribution Demonstration Network at the Regional Reference Standards Laboratory (RRSL) in Jakkur, Bengaluru, marking a key step towards the Centre’s ‘One Nation, One Time’ initiative.
The project aims to establish a uniform, highly precise and secure time synchronisation system across the country, reducing India’s dependence on foreign time sources such as GPS and strengthening the sovereignty of the nation’s digital infrastructure.
Speaking at the inauguration, Joshi said the indigenous system would provide a reliable and secure time reference for critical sectors, including banking, stock exchanges, digital payments, telecommunications, defence and national power grids. He said the initiative would help safeguard essential infrastructure against cyberattacks, data manipulation and other security risks.
The Legal Metrology Division under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is the nodal agency for the project, which has been developed in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), ISRO, BSNL and SEBI.
According to the ministry, the system complies with global Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) standards while ensuring that India’s critical digital infrastructure is no longer reliant on external timing sources.
Joshi said the initiative would support the country’s long-term vision of technology-driven governance and improve the transparency, reliability and security of public services.
Senior officials, including Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary Anupam Mishra, Director of Legal Metrology Ashutosh Agarwal, and other ministry representatives attended the launch event.
